Fluid dispenser



United States Patent 3,203,592 FLUID DISPENSER Denis Farandatos, 750Lexington Ave, New York, N.Y. Filed Oct. '4, 1963, Ser. No. 314,043 6Claims. (Ci. 222-) The present application is a continuation-in-part ofmy application Serial No. 298,739, filed July 30, 1963, which is acontinuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 149,276, filedNovember 1, 1961, now abandoned, which in turn is a continuation of myearlier application Serial No. 778,335, filed December 5, 1958, also nowabandoned.

The present application is also a continuation-in-part of my applicationSerial No. 17,550, filed March 25, 1960, now abandoned.

The invention relates to fluid dispensing means and particularly toapparatus for dispensing compressed fluid in measured quantities from acylinder containing compressed fluid.

The invention has among its objects the provision of a novel, simple andeconomical fluid dispenser.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a fluiddispenser which is simply operated to open an initially sealed supply offluid under pressure and is simply controlled thereafter so asselectively to dispense predetermined quantities of fluid. Anotherobject is to dispense fluid from high pressure cylinders safely and toprovide pressure reducing means acting as a safety valve.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a fluiddispenser of the above indicated character which is compact, easilyportable, safe and durable.

Another object of the invention is to supply oxygen as needed whereneeded.

It is known to compress gases within small metal cylinders and topenetrate these cylinders to release the gases into other chambers foruse. Examples of this practice are the impregnating of water with carbondioxide to make the charged Water called club soda and, as discussed inmy prior Patent No. 2,729,124, dated January 3, 1956, to remove corksfrom bottles without disrupting the cork.

It is an object of this invention to improve upon my own prior apparatusfor dispensing compressed fluids in selected quantities from cylinderscontaining fluids under pressure.

Another object is to provide fluid dispensing apparatus which is readilydismantled and is composed of readily replaceable parts.

Another object of the invention is to utilize pressure fluid cylindersto atomize liquids. For example, when it is desired to spray a room withan insecticide or a disinfectant the standard method is to use anatomizer actuated by a squeeze bulb, a method imperfect in itselfbecause it does not produce a continuous and even atomization, and whichis ineffective when the space to be filled is large.

Another example of the novel use is in the operation of garden sprays. Astandard method now used is to partly fill a large can with the liquidspray, then manually pump up the remaining spaces with air underpressure, then dispense the spray as long as the pressure lasts. This isintermittent and relatively unsatisfactory.

The invention is applicable to all such uses and provides improvedoperation in each of them, delivering gas in whatever quantities areneeded, as needed and always under the control of the operator.

The above and further objects and novel features of the invention willmore fully appear from the following description when the saiddescription is read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It isto be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for thepurpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of thelimits of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like partsthroughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fluid dispenser inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane ofthe line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view showing a modifiedembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail showing the needle valve memberconnected to a hose adapter.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, more particularlyto FIGS. 1 and 2, the fluid dispenser is designated generally by thereference numeral 10 and comprises an elongatedcasing generallydesignated 11, which includes a body or valve housing portion 12 adaptedto receive and house an axially reciprocable needle valve member 13which is normally biased to closed position. One end portion of the body12 is screw-threaded as at 14 to receive an end cap 15 having a centralbore 15 through which an extension of the hollow needle valve member 13slidably projects outwardly from the casing, as shown. The other endportion of the valve housing portion 12 is screw-threaded as at 16 toreceive an elongated cap or cartridge housing member 17, the outer endof which, in turn, is screw-threaded as at 18 to receive an end cap 19.Suitable gaskets 20, 21, respectively, are provided between thecartridge housing member 17 and the valve housing member 12, and betweenthe cap 19 and the elongated cap member 17.

The elongated cap member 17 serves as a housing for a conventionalcartridge 22 (shown by dotted lines), containing fluid under pressure,such as CO which fluid is adapted to be released from the cartridge incontrolled quantities by retraction of the normally closed needle valvemember 13 against the action of suitable biasing means.

The end portion of the cartridge housing member 17 which is threadedlyconnected at 16 to the valve housing body portion 12 is internallyscrew-threaded as at 23 to receive a plug or abutment 24, formed with acentral fluid passage or conduit 25 having a frusto-conical end portionwhich forms a seat 26 for a tapered, pointed end portion 27 of thehollow needle valve member 13. The side of the plug 24 facing the capmember 17 is provided with a recess 28 to receive the neck 22' of thecartridge 22, the recess 28 being annular and surrounding a piercingpoint or needle 29 which is formed integrally with the plug 24 and hasthe aforementioned fluid passage 25 extending therethrough. With theplug 24 in position in the elon gated cap member 17, when the cartridge22 is inserted in said cap member and the end cap 19 is screwed home,the point 29 will pierce the usual, rupturable diaphragm or end wall(not shown) in the neck 22' of the cartridge, so that the compressedfluid in the cartridge may escape through the passage 25 in plug 24,subject to flow control by the needle valve member 13 in cooperationwith its seat 26 in the plug 24.

The needle valve member 13 is normally biased toward its seat 26 bysuitable biasing means, herein shown as a compression spring 30, one endof which abuts an annular shoulder 31 provided in the body 12, while itsother end bears against a piston 32 which is slidable in a tubular liner33, disposed in a cylindrical cavity 34 which exists in the body 12between the shoulder 31 and the plug 24. As shown, the piston 32 isprovided with an annular seat 35 to receive the spring 30. The spring 30urges the piston 32 against a keeper ring 36 which is seated in anannular groove (not shown) formed in the outer surface of the needlevalve member 13, thus biasing the pointed end portion 27 of the needlevalve member against the tapered seat 26.

It will be observed that the needle valve member 13 is provided with anaxial passage 37, the outer end of which opens laterally to provide afluid discharge port 37' while its inner end similarly opens laterallyto provide a fluid receiving port 37" communicating with the interior orchamber 40 of the tubular liner 33, between the piston 32 and the plug24. Thus, when the needle valve member 13 is drawn against the action ofthe spring 30 so as to unseat the pointed end portion 27 of the neeedlevalve members from the seat 25, fluid under pressure will flow from thecartridge 22 through the passage 25 into the chamber 4-0 and through thelateral needle opening 37" into the needle passage 37, for discharge atthe outer end of the needle through the lateral opening 37'. As shown,the outer end portion of the needle valve member 13 is pointed as at 41to facilitate penetration of corks, tire casings, et cetera, to whichthe fluid dispenser is applied.

Sliding of the needle valve member 13 against the action of the springto unseat the valve means 26, 27 is effected by retracting meansindicated generally by the numeral 42, the same comprising a lever 43which is pivotally mounted on a transverse pin 44 in the body 12. Thepin 44 traverses a slot 45 through which the lever 43 projects outwardlyfrom the body 12, the outer end of the lever having fixed thereto asuitable finger-piece 46 adapted for manual actuation. The inner end ofthe lever 43 is bifurcated to form a yoke 47 to engage a pair of pins4-8 which project diametrically to opposite sides from the needle valvemember 13, it being apparent that when the finger-piece 46 is depressedor pressed toward the body 12, the needle valve member 13 will beretracted against the action of the spring 39 so as to unseat the needleportion 27 from the seat 25. By depressing the finger-piece 46 to agreater or lesser extent, the unseating of the needle valve member maybe effectively controlled, so as to increase or decrease the rate offlow of fluid from the cartridge 22, or to completely stop such fluidflow when the needle valve member is fully engaged with the seat 26 bythe spring 30.

The outer surface of the body 12 may have secured thereto, as by screws47, a suitable resilient clip or keeper 43, adapted to engage thefinger-piece 46 in its undepressed position and safeguard the sameagainst accidental depression, such as would cause undesired orunnecessary escape of fluid from the cartridge 22. However, when thedevice is to be operated and manual pressure is applied to depress thefinger-piece 46, the resilient yieldability of the clip or keeper 48makes retraction of the needle valve member possible.

The modified embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3 issubstantially the same as that already described, with the exceptionthat the outer end of the cap member 17a has a closed end wall 19a,rather than being provided with a removable, screw-threaded end cap 19as is the cap member 17 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. In theinstance of the embodiment of FIG. 3, the plug 24 is screw-threaded asat 49 into the valve housing member of body 12a rather than into thecartridge housing or cap member 170, and the cap member 17a isscrew-threadedly conected to the body 12a as at 5b. This arrangementpermits the cap member 17a to be separated from the body 12:: while theplug 24 remains in place in the body, whereupon the cartridge 22 may beinserted in the cap member 17a so that when the cap member issubsequently screwed onto the body, puncturing of the cartridge by theplug point 29 will take place. The functional distinction arising fromthis structural modification is that the elongated cap member 37a, whenturned by hand, offers a greater gripping facility for forcing the point29 to puncture the cartridge, than is provided by the relatively smallerend cap 19 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a needle valve member 13a with an axial fluid passage37 extending therethrough, the passage being open at the pointed end ofthe needle valve member. The pointed end portion of the latter may beinserted in a suitable adapter 53. connected to a hose or the like 52,which in turn may be connected to an atomizer, life preserver, or otherapparatus designed to use fluid under pressure received from thecartridge 22. As shown, the adapter 51 is provided with a rubber insert53 having a passage extending therethrough and connected at one end withthe hose passage and at its other end adapted to snugly receive thepointed end portion of the needle valve member 13a.

Operation The operation of the device will be largely apparent from theforegoing specific description of parts; a suitable cartridge containingfiuid under pressure having been inserted in the housing portion 17 or17a of the tubular dispenser casing 11 and said cartridge housingportion having been assembled by screwing the same into the valvehousing portion 12 of the dispenser, a fluid tight fit is provided. Thepenetrable end of the cartridge having been punctured fluid can escapeonly through the passage 25 in the plug 24 after the tapered needlevalve portion 27 has been withdrawn against the biasing force of thespring 30. When the needle valve 27 has been withdrawn in whole or inpart a predetermined quantity of fluid passes into chamber 49 and thencethrough the port or opening 37" into the axial conduit 37 passingthrough the hollow stem portion of the needle valve member 13 and outthrough the lateral opening 37' which, it will be noted, is outside thedispenser casing 11. The pointed portion 4-1 at the exterior end of theneedle valve member 13 may be used to penetrate a cork or the like as inmy prior Patent No. 2,729,124, and thus the device is adapted to serveas a cork extractor in the manner set forth in said patent.

If desired the dispensing device may be used with an adapter asillustrated in FIG. 4, and thus may be employed as or in connection withan atomizer to spray insecticide, disinfectant or other suitable fluid,either gaseous or liquid, as may be desired.

The invention has been described in detail for the purpose ofillustration, but it will be obvious that numerous modifications andvariations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of theinvention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for dispensing controlled quantities of fluid underpressure from a cartridge having a penetrable end, said apparatuscomprising a housing including a valve housing portion and a portionadapted to receive and support a cartridge with its penetrable enddirected toward the valve housing portion, a sealing plug in saidhousing intermediate the valve housing and cartridge supportingportions, said plug having a passage extending axially therethrough andhaving a hollow puncturing needle disposed toward the penetrable end ofthe cartridge and in axial alignment with said passage, means for movingsaid cartridge axially relative to the needle to penetrate saidpenetrable end, spring biased valve means within said valve housingportion, including a tapered end portion adapted in one position tosnugly fit said passage through said plug to close the same, and meansfor retracting said valve means against the force of said spring anypredetermined distance, whereby accurately conrolled quantities of fluidmay be released from said cartridge, said valve means including adispensing tube terminating at one end in said conical valve member, apiston on said tube in sealing engagement with the valve housing portionof said housing member and in spaced relation to said conical valvemember, and port means in said dispensing tube between the piston andsaid valve member.

2. An apparatus for dispensing controlled quantities of high pressurefluid from a cartridge having a penetrable part end, said apparatuscomprising a housing member including a cartridge holding portion and avalve housing portion, said cartridge holding portion being adapted tosupport said cartridge axially within the housing with the penetrableend directed toward the valve housing portion, a transverse plug in saidhousing intermediate the cartridge holding and valve housing portions,said plug having a passage extending axially therethrough and a hollowport puncturing needle member comrnunicating with said passage anddirected toward the penetrable port end of the cartridge when mounted insaid housing, means for moving said cartridge toward the needle toeffect puncture of the port end of the cartridge, and spring biasedvalve means for opening and closing the passage through said plugincluding an axially reciprocable conical valve member adapted in oneextreme position to snugly fit in the passage of said plug to close thesame under the influence of said spring, and adapted in another positionto permit fluid to flow through the passage through said plug, saidspring serving to normally hold the valve snugly in said passage, andmeans for retracting said conical valve member any desired distanceagainst the bias of said spring, whereby accurately controlledquantities of fluid under pressure may be dispensed from said cartridge,said valve means including a dispensing tube terminating at one end insaid conical valve member, a piston on said tube in sealing engagementwith the valve housing portion of said housing member and in spacedrelation to said conical valve member, and port means in said dispensingtube between the piston and said valve member.

3. Gas dispensing apparatus comprising a housing having a cylindricalpart adapted to receive a gas container, a cap means adapted to force agas container forward in the said part, an abutment, removably mountedin the cylindrical part opposite the cap means, having penetrating meansprojecting from one face toward the cap means, a valve seat in theopposite face of the abutment and conduit means extending from the valveseat through the penetrating means, valve means comprising a cylindricalbody adapted to be joined hermetically to the housing and including adispensing tube having an end portion in sealing engagement with thevalve seat in the closed position of said valve means, a piston mountedon the tube in sealing relation with the cylindrical body and in spacedrelation to the valve seat, port means in the dispensing tube betweenthe piston and the said end portion, spring means bearing on the pistonand loading the valve to closed position, and valve operating meanscomprising a lever mounted on the valve body operatively connected tothe dispensing tube and adapted to overcome the spring means and openthe valve.

4. Gas dispensing apparatus comprising a housing having a cylindricalpart adapted to receive a gas container, a cap means adapted to force agas container forward in the said part, an abutment, removably mountedin the cylindrical part opposite the cap means, having penetrating meansprojecting from one face toward the cap means, a valve seat in theopposite face of the abutment and conduit means extending from the valveseat through the penetrating means, valve means comprising a cylindricalbody adapted to be joined hermetically to the housing and including adispensing tube having an end portion in sealing engagement with thevalve seat in the closed position of said valve means, a piston mountedon 5 the tube in sealing relation with the cylindrical body and inspaced relation to the valve seat, port means in the dispensing tubebetween the piston and the said end portion, spring means bearing on thepiston and loading the valve to closed position, and valve operatingmeans engaged with the valve means.

5. Gas dispensing apparatus comprising a housing having a cylindricalpart adapted to receive a gas container, a cap means adapted to force agas container forward in the said part, an abutment, removably mountedin the cylindrical part opposite the cap means, having penetrating meansprojecting from one face toward the cap means, a valve seat in theopposite face of the abutment and conduit means extending from the valveseat through the penetrating means, valve means comprising a cylindricalbody adapted to be joined heremetically to the housing and a dispensingtube having an end portion in sealing engagement with the valve seat inthe closed position of said valve means, a piston mounted on the tube insealing relation with the cylindrical body and in spaced relation to thevalve seat, port means in the dispensing tube be tween the piston andthe said end portion, means bearing on the piston and loading the valveto closed position, and valve operating means engaged with the valvemeans.

6. Gas dispensing apparatus comprising a housing hav- 30 ing a partadapted to hold a gas container, an abutment removably mounted in thesaid part having penetrating means projecting toward the container,means adapted to force a gas container against the penetrating means, avalve seat in the opposite face of the abutment and conduit meansextending from the valve seat through the penetrating means, valve meanscomprising a cylindrical body adapted to be joined hermetically to thehousing and a dispensing. tube having an end portion in sealingengagement with the valve seat, a piston mounted on the tube in sealingrelation with the cylindrical body and in spaced relation to the valveseat in the closed position of said valve means, port means in thedispensing tube between the piston and the said end portion, meansbearing on the piston and loading the valve to closed position, andvalve operating means engaged with the valve means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 629,752 7/99Murray 141-17 805,474 11/05 Lavertine et al. 222-5 1,920,165 8/33 Andvig222-399 X 2,051,981 8/36 Bowman 141-19 5 2,297,497 9/42 Popoif 239-82,362,784 11/44 Ward 239-309 X 2,705,578 4/55 Burns 222-5 X 2,77 8,4341/57 Hastert et a1 222-5 X 2,827,081 3/58 Little 141-94 EVERETT W.KIRBY, Primary Examiner.

HADD S. LANE, Examiner.

